While stumbling upon these images, they immediately reminded me of artists and the different states we can find ourselves in. Do you recognize yourself in any of them? Or, is there a particular one that stands out and screams, "Hey! I'm you in another life!"
Do you consider yourself more or less of a standard or run-of-the-mill artist? Not going from one extreme to another or really having any real issues you can think of?
Or a cautious artist? Careful not to mess anything up or need to have your entire game plan laid out before you begin?
A fearful artist? Afraid to really mess anything up because you think it will ruin the piece. Inevitably, you hold yourself back from really doing anything or just going for it. You might also stay stuck in the process mode and never really get started on anything. You could also work on some projects you know you can do; but, refrain from creating what you really envision because of this underlying fear.
Let's try a fierce or angry artist. Do emotions get your creative juices flowing; and, you use your art as an outlet? Or, are you fierce? There's nothing stopping you from doing what you set out to do? If anybody gets in your way, they better watch out! Otherwise, they just might be thrown in and become a part of that piece you’re creating!
A happy, go-lucky artist? You're pretty much happy no matter what you create or how it turns out. It just makes you feel really good inside. If someone likes your work, great! If not, oh well. They probably don't have good taste anyway!
An ugly artist. People ask, "Why do you make such ugly art?" (I must confess I got this line from a few artists who received this "feedback" from someone.)
Work-till-ya-drop artist. The ones who keep working and don't realize they haven't eaten in hours. By the time they look up, their head is spinning from exhaustion. Then they realize they forget to take care of the wash, let the dog out, make that one important call and put dinner on. Now the family is coming home; and, they're soon to be swarmed with a household of hungry mouths. Time just flies by. Now off to bed they go with a rag on their head and rest until they feel better so they can do it all over again the next day, despite promising they'll take breaks in between.
An angel or goddess artist. Everything you create has wings on them. You may not know why; but, you just feel something is amiss without them. They seem to look so much better being adorned with a set of beautiful gossamer wings or some oddly shaped pair made of unthinkable objects.
A primitive or tribal artist. You like that old, grungy look. It makes you feel homey and comfy inside. It whispers back to a time of baseball games on Sunday afternoons, picnics with the family, and riding bikes in the park. A slower paced and more family- and community- centered lifestyle.
Or, you enjoy exploring the world's religions and cultures and expressing that through your art. You can almost feel the texture of their clothes on your skin and the sound of their music beating in your ears. Breathe deeply and fill your lungs with the exotic scents from this regions' land. Taste their foods and take away with you experiences only a few of us get to have in a lifetime. This, is then poured into your art as you shed light on other worlds outside our own.
A collaborative artist. You like swimming with the pack. You enjoy or work better on teams and like the final results of your efforts more so than if you worked alone. You feed off of each others' creative energies.
A cooool artist. Yeah, you know your fins. No more needs to be said.
Against-the-grain artist. You don't mind swimming upstream or against the currents. You're one of the first to learn new techniques and hammer out all the glitches for the rest of us! Or, your work flies in the face of what most people consider is art. It may ruffle feathers and rub people the wrong way. Bottom line, it always gets a reaction out of people.
A lazy or tired artist. You really do want to create something but don't want to pull everything out. It's just too much work. You may not be very organized or don't have much space to properly gain access to your materials. You're depleted of your energy just trying to rummage through to find what you need to begin with. Now, not only do you feel worn out, you also feel creatively spent.
Or, you know you should finish the last project that's been sitting there, looking at you...watching you... stalking you...sneaking up on you...peering around the corner at you. But, you just worked that perfect spot in the sofa; and, it’s just too good not to enjoy it! There's always later.
A "different" kind of artist. You like the unusual. The offbeat. You may not place parts in their usual places or will exaggerate them, just to see what you get. Your approach is fun, playful. "Let's see what happens if we do this, ...", is basically your approach as you stretch, twist, and turn inside-out your poor piece over and over again like a Mr. Potato Head.
A march-to-the-beat-of-your-own-drum artist. You follow your instincts, wherever they may lead you. You're not really crazy about following others' instructions, whether in a class, magazine, or pattern, but may use them more as guidelines to get a feel for what you want. Then, going ahead and doing it your way. After all is said and done, you just might decide not to do anything at all. In this regard, you might be seen as more of a loner because you're not "playing nice" with everyone. If they could only hear that drum roll...
A juggling artist. Do you have more than one project you're working on at the same time? Do you thrive on going back and forth between these creative endeavors or lose track because there's too much? Perhaps you have to pull a tentacle or two back in order to get something done.
A symbolic artist? You have a tendency to use a lot of images and metaphors in your work. They may take on a spiritual element. The final result will often reach out and speak to someone on a much deeper level, whether that is you as the artist or the person viewing your work. Your viewer may not know what draws them exactly to the piece; but, they are subconsciously remembering a time when humans relied most heavily on non-verbal language and/or a greater connection with the spiritual world.
A cute artist. You like cute. You like pretty. Not anything different or wild or unusual. That's not for you. Sweet. That's your thing.
A steampunk or found object artist. Anything you come across can be turned into a work of art, in the right hands, that is! Let someone sit long enough; and, so will they! Those Lazy Artists, Beware! The tired ones, we'll stand by and will keep watch while you sleep to rejuvenate.
All-dried-out artist. Currently, you've run out of steam. You haven't worked on anything in quite awhile; and, don't seem to know how to get your inspirational juices back.
A nature artist. Whether it is with twigs, moss, stones, and twine or draped in the tropical colors of the Caribbean, your work is very nature oriented.
A depressed artist. You try and try and try; but, it still doesn't come out right. That's alright. You know how big of a success you'll be by how many times you failed. All the Greats failed miserably, countless, innumerous numbers of times; but, they kept at it. Now see where they are?
The more times you put yourself out there, yes, it’s true, it increases the number of times you will fail. But, it also increases the number of times you'll succeed, until you get better and better at it. Then, you'll turn from this, to this...
A star artist. Everything you touch pretty much turns to gold. Your work receives accolades and awards. It gets published in magazines. You're written about on blogs. You don't need a full name like everyone else. You are known by one name and one name only, like Madonna, Cher or P. Diddy (okay, that's an initial and a name but nevertheless, we're close). People hear it; and, they know it's you.
A warrior artist. Whether a full-time or weekend warrior, you live for these moments. You can hardly wait to get back to it. Every day, you've got something going on. You may be run ragged and exhausted from a hectic work, family, and life schedule. The only time you may really get to do anything creative is on the weekends; but, you find a way to fit it in.
And if you find you're a bunch of these, then, you just might be a multiple-personality artist and morphed into an entirely different creature which is a fish of a whole different matter!
Hope you enjoyed reviewing some of the lives of artists and wonder who we might see on the big screen headlining as you!
